The Great British Pubco Scam. Pubs are closing all over Britain yet pubs are places that most people love and think fondly of as some of the most significant, treasured, iconic parts of our culture, places to be cherished, nurtured and looked after. Yet they're closing everywhere... WHY? It doesn't make sense does it? Read on...
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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

CAMRA to talk to OFT about beer tie

14 April, 2009

By James Wilmore

This marks a SIGNIFICANT shift on the part of BBPA and CAMRA and should be widely welcomed because, clearly, the wool is falling away from their eyes and the lies they have been fed by the pubcos are finally being recognised for what they are. There is a danger that if CAMRA do apply their extraordinary status as a super complainant to bringing OFT's own myopic view of things back to the structure of the pubco model that it does not in itself divert from the real issues of closed competition issues, market manipulation, effective monopolisation and endemic price fixing which need to be seriously investigated, addressed and legislated against.

The sages who rail against the surrent state of play. In turn:

Sylvia: 'common sense and the law'. ?. Your own statement is contradictory. No one is forgetting who OWNS tied pubs. The fact is tied pub owners have abused their power so much they and seamlessly NOT done what they say they do that they should have their 'rights' as owners, as you put it, summarily withdrawn. The ownership and management of tied pubs should be vested in the hands of people responsible enough to carry that mantle of responsibility. The current 'owners' (many of them only 'manage' these estates anyway) do not deserve the benefits that come with ownership. The reason there's only one case of a downward rent review (remember Enterprise and Punch particularly stated at BESC they have 'not enforced upward rent reviews sinece 1996') is because the whole industry has been fitted up to the extent that ONLY a RICS member with a personal, direct financial interest in a tied pub could even HOPE to get a downward review because they understand the opaque nonsense that has been built up around rent reviews that is designed purely and squarely to totally rip off licensees. That side of the inequity in the system is being dealt with properly elsewhere than on this forum.

Steve W: This is ENTIRELY of interest to CAMRA. The product lists of (some) of the pubcos MAy be broad but the price lists keep real ale purchases streamlined strictly to the pubcos' agenda unless individual licensees committed to providing a wide range continuously are prepared to wear a non commercial hit in their GPs.

As a free of tie licensee you're talking what seems like sense but you simply are misinformed about tied costs. The tie is a pernicious burden which comes with NON of the contervailing benefits which lessees pay handsomely for. If tied lessees were in any other retail environment they'd be taking their goods back for complete and immediate reimbursement and taking their custom elsewhere.

mary: YOU have it in a nutshell.

Chris Roberts: Oh dear oh dear oh dear. More tripe from the anti ant tie lobby - the vociferous 'lobby for no particular cause other than to have our own tortuously oblique and impenetrable agenda aired in public' campaign. You ever wonder why you were banned from another public forum so you had to set up your own yukky YUKU world with Sylvia? Do you even know how old Steve Corbett is? What on earth is your agenda?

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J Mark Dodds

I’m one of the Pub Persuaders, one of the Pub Professionals, one of the People who knows what’s going on – in PUBS that is - and this blog is about pubs, why they are so important to people and why they must be preserved, reinvigorated, enhanced and remade fit for purpose for the 21st century and beyond and how they must be made sustainable so that future generations can enjoy and learn from the rich seams of knowledge that can be found on everyone’s doorstep in every humble pub – until it’s closed forever – until it’s too late and people say ‘what happened to our pub? We really NEEDED that pub!’
I’m a publican, parent and photographer with a lot of food and drink experience in some of the busiest restaurants and clubs in Britain. Since long before 2008 (when I co-founded the Fair Pint Campaign) I’ve been a pro pubs, people and places person at the forefront of the national conversation about why pubs are closing… everywhere.
I love good pubs, my kids love good pubs, all my friends love good pubs – everyone loves good pubs and I’m determined to make sure good pubs remain part of everybody’s experience - of growing up in the UK and of visiting this country.